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Friday, January 19, 2007

Autocracy By Any Other...

According to the American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, autocracy is defined as:"(aw-TOK-ruh-see) A system of government in which supreme political power is held by one person. (Compare constitutional monarchy, democracy, and oligarchy.)+ Iraq under Saddam Hussein is an autocracy."

I have been at a loss for words (but even that is a lame excuse for my limited blogging lately) .... because what the US is doing in the Middle East has gone beyond the pale. Bush and his guiding voice (other than God), Cheney, have become totally immune not only to the voices of wisdom offering a virtual menu of policy options for addressing the debacle and travesty of Iraq, but more importantly to the will of the American people. And so thousands more troops march off, needlessly, into harm's way.... not to mention the scores of Iraqis who will also suffer.

Last Sunday, on no other than Fox News (surprise, surprise), Cheney made a startling revelation to Chris Wallace and the American people. He basically said that the Bush Administration would not be swayed by the will of the people. (Read David Ignatius piece in the Wash Post - great analysis). Forget polls, which arguably may be seen to be whimsical; he even dismissed general election results. (Please refer to the definition of autocracy above). So if the people are not to be heeded when they cast their ballots, what then is left for democracy?

(Read - only slightly tongue in cheek- I guess there is no wonder that the US can't impose democracy abroad; apparently, if the VP is to be believed and the Bushites observed, it can't even maintain it at home... The only reason this is a half-serious comment is because democracy can never be imposed even by paragons of it.)

"WALLACE: I want to ask you one more question about this, and then we'll talk about other issues.Iraq was a big issue in the November election. I want you to take a look at some numbers from the election. According to the National Exit Poll, 67 percent said the war was either very or extremely important to their vote, and only 17 percent supported sending in more troops.By taking the policy you have, haven't you, Mr. Vice President, ignored the express will of the American people in the November election?CHENEY: Well, Chris, this president, and I don't think any president worth his salt, can afford to make decisions of this magnitude according to the polls. The polls change day by day...WALLACE: Well, this was an election, sir.CHENEY: Polls change day by day, week by week. I think the vast majority of Americans want the right outcome in Iraq. The challenge for us is to be able to provide that. But you cannot simply stick your finger up in the wind and say, "Gee, public opinion's against; we'd better quit.""

I think it is time to recognize that we already have a third party in this country, and they hold the power. For lack of a better word, and because neo-con has become hackneyed, I will anoint the Bushites, the Imperialist Party. Last November we took the first step at running them out of town, but we still have a ways to go.

Will the real Republicans please stand up??

Perhaps they already have in the form of Senator Chuck Hagel. Here is a man who is true to his soul and essential republican principles (small "R") ... like growing the economy, maintaining international respect, leadership and citizenship, and heeding the people. His has been a lone Republican voice of reason which is only now resonating from amidst the howl of Bushite imperialist, autocratic dogma and self-delusion.

"WALLACE: Mr. Vice President, it's not just Democrats, though, who oppose the plan. This week there were a number of leading Senate Republicans who also came out against it. Let's watch.(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)SEN. NORM COLEMAN, R-MINN.: I'm not prepared, at this time, to support that.SEN. DAVID VITTER, R-LA.: Too little, maybe too late.SEN. CHUCK HAGEL, R-NEB.: The most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam.(END VIDEO CLIPS)WALLACE: Aren't you losing a lot of support in your own caucus?CHENEY: Well, I don't think Chuck Hagel has been with us for a long time.... We have to prevail, and we have to have the stomach for the fight, long term. And for us to do what Chuck Hagel, for example, suggests or to buy into that kind of analysis — it's not really analysis; it's just criticism — strikes me as absolutely the wrong thing to do.These are tough decisions, but the president's made it. It's a good decision. It's a good policy. We think, on reflection, it's the best way for us to move forward to achieve our objectives..."

Not only do the Bushites sense the heat from within, they are even throwing bones to the Democrats. After many an outcry but only moved to act under the threat of congressional hearings, the Bushites have, in small part, rescinded their self-declared right to unlimited power by placing the NSA eavesdropping transgression under judicial review. However, despite being once again subject to FISA oversight, the Bushites maintained the prerogative to act however they see fit, suggesting that the program could be instituted once again at any time (assuming that they are to be believed in having stopped it in the first place).

"de·moc·ra·cy /[di-mok-ruh-see] –noun, plural -cies.1. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.2. a state having such a form of government: The United States and Canada are democracies."

5 Comments:

That's breathtaking. Thanks for bringing that quote to my attention. The guy calls a national election an "opinion poll." I bet he's sorry he can't command a few divisions to take over the country & make him Consul for life a la Julius Caesar or something like that. The only poll that counts is how many divisions you have at yr disposal.

The United States is defined as:"Constitution-based Federal Republic".Fortunate for war-time presidents such as Truman, Lincoln, and Wilson. They did not have media polls or scrutinity to guide them.Egypt with a president going on 25 years is far closer to an Autocracy :-)

Cheney and Bush will be gone in two short years.Hopefully the Bush-Clinton dynasty will not go on for 24 yrs :-(Same two families from 1993 until 2017 if Hilary and Bill return.Maybe further if Jeb wants to move to D.C.Lame-Ducks and a confrontational Congress cause Federal gridlock...the best possible situation for America.